Newspaper companies in Washington state are funding a conservative attempt to repeal the state's estate tax.
The Seattle Times, The (Vancouver) Columbian, The Wenatchee World and Pioneer Newspapers, which owns a chain of small publications, have all donated cash to a committee campaigning for I-920.
To his credit, Seattle Times political reporter David Postman has been following the story on his blog, Postman on Politics.
More newspaper money for I-920 and questions for the press
The Yes on 920 Campaign: Keeping Washington Business Alive reported today that the Wenatchee World donated $25,000 to the effort to repeal the state estate tax. Reports filed with the Public Disclosure Commission show it came on Oct. 2.
That news, as well as an in-kind donation to the campaign from The Seattle Times I wrote about last night, prompted a call from Sandeep Kaushik, communications director for the No on I-920 campaign. He says newspapers, including the one I work for, are breaching their trust with readers.
"The publishers of these newspapers contributing are showing a cavalier willingness to sacrifice their own papers' journalistic credibility so they can attain a self-serving political agenda."
The Columbian in Vancouver and a chain of small papers, Pioneer Newspapers, earlier donated money to the campaign.
Kaushik, the No on 920 spokesman, raises some interesting points in comments to Postman's post. ("Blethen" refers to Seattle Times owner Frank Blethen.)
I too have read Bill Gates Sr.'s book. In his section on Blethen and the Times, what struck me was the scope of Blethen's reach, particularly his success in tilting the press in his favor by convincing dozens of other papers to join his crusade. Let me quote from Wealth and Our Commonwealth:
"Blethen deployed the Seattle Times and his other newspapers to advance the repeal agenda. He hired Jill Mackie as director of external affairs at the Times, whose top mandate was to lobby for repeal.
Blethen newspapers have editorialized against the tax numerous times since 1997 and in favor of candidates who share their pro-repeal position. The Seattle Times staffed an imaginative web site (www.deathtax.com) that served as a hub of information and campaign activity.
One of the most important things that the Seattle Times did was to organize other independent newspapers. It sent out frequent newsletters and lobbying updates to the thirty members of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association and organized at least one hundred other newspapers to join the repeal cause...
Starting in 1997, the Seattle Times convened annual "Death Tax Summits" in Washington, D.C., with cosponsorship from the Newspaper Association of America, the US Chamber of Commerce, and various other groups supporting repeal of the estate tax.
At these events, business owners could hear from 'congressional champions' and lobby representatives, and later they could join a reception with 'those who work for repeal daily in Washington.' We wonder if they served free pizza..."
Folks, what we have here is a serious threat to journalistic integrity in the state of Washington. We all know cable tee-vee is in the tank, as are many local broadcasts.
If newspapers can simply disregard any semblance of neutrality and throw in for a Luntzian effort to give the ultra-wealthy tax breaks, we have a problem.
The estate tax in Washington pays for, among other things, smaller class sizes in K-12 and funds about 7,900 university and college slots. So if the estate tax is repealed, it creates an education funding problem in the state that will have broader political ramifications for a Democratic Legislature and Democratic Governor Chris Gregoire.
According to the No on 920 Campaign very few Washington family businesses are impacted by the estate tax.
Only the wealthiest in our community will profit from the estate tax repeal. Because the tax exempts all farms and only applies to estates valued at more than $2 million (or $4 million for a married couple), 99.5% of estates in Washington will not pay the estate tax and the rest of us will lose if I-920 passes.
If you live in Washington state, I urge you to write letters to the editor decrying your local newspaper's monetary donations to I-920.
Ellensburg Daily Record (Pioner-owned)
Skagit Valley Herald (Pioneer owned)
Anacortes American (Pioneer-owned)
Note-Pioneer Newspapers has donated at least $25,000, according to state Public Disclosure Commission reports
The Columbian (Vancouver, WA) (Owner-Scott Campbell, $5,000)
The Seattle Times (Owner-Frank Blethen, approximately $1,000 in-kind of lobbyist time)
Also see Seattle Times owned newspapers including the Yakima Herald-Republic, Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, The Issaquah Press, Sammamish Review and Newcastle News.